Shafi Zemuk
Special Commodore Shafi Zemuk is an Irini captain who served under the now-defunct Combined Fleet. He is the main protagonist of Black Hearts: Galaxies and one of the main protagonists of Black Hearts: Cataclysm. He is the brother of the former Department 64 agent Sara Zemuk. Early Life Zemuk was born in Tretis Colony on Velure in 2980. He was the son of Vale Kassia Zemuk. Kassia gave her position as valmist to her brother Svefer in order to spend time with her children in the valedra. However, Shafi's parents died due to the Vertens-Kocher strand of disease that struck the valedra in 2992, leaving him and his sister alone in the custody of his uncle Svefer. Zemuk did not adapt well to life as a noble, being naturally adventurous and resentful of authority. He found himself playing in the wild with children of a local Kami Uten Varys settlement rather than learning etiquette and politics. He would play practical jokes on visting vals and Velurean officials, making him an unbearable presence around the palace. The only person he would listen to were his uncle and sister, to whom he stuck close to. Svefer, a veteran, decided Zemuk's destructive nature had to be focused into something constructive. Svefer Zemuk sent the troublesome kid to Earth to attend Laventeaux Military Academy in order to discipline him. Shafi's stay at the academy was one of the most interesting parts of his life, as he uncovered a plot by Rixin aliens to plant a bomb at the boot camp, and he successfully fended off the Rixin terrorists until the police arrived and arrested the rest. His sister, though younger than him, was highly advanced through the program and graduated far before him, exploring prospects in the Irini Secret Service. She would later go on to be selected for the prestigious Department 64, and the two wouldn't talk face to face for a long period of time. It was said that Shafi came out of the Military Academy a new man, more mature and disciplined. Upon graduation of the academy's 4-year program, Shafi would be referred to the Royal Naval University in London at the age of 19, from which he obtained proper marine training. Shafi grew more and more hatred for the Velconi due to bombing raids he had experienced during his youth. The Director of the University, however, realized Shafi's potential as a naval commander, and enrolled him in a different program for new ensigns in the Irini Navy. His marine training combined with his natural skills made him quickly rise through the ranks, and, by 10 years, he became a navy captain. However, he lacked much experience in actual space conflicts. The Uprising Zemuk never felt the peace between the Irini and the Velconi was stable, like many, and was not surprised when war broke out. Admiral Ali, who had taken a shining to the captain, decided to place him under his direct command to carry out special missions for the war effort. By the time of the events of Black Hearts ''with Captain Omar and Chief Dani-Yal, Shafi was uncovering a plot to undermine the Rovoen-Irin alliance in ''Black Hearts: Galaxies. During a treasure-ship recovery mission, the crashed ship Ordinance One was searched by Cpt. Zemuk and his crew. Several containers of greenish-bluish liquid were found on board, when Velconi captain Zi Dolov battled Zemuk for it, locking Zemuk inside the ship so he could not escape and expressing interest in the fluid. This fluid turned out to be the same neural fluid that the Turgin Biological Weapons Corporation was producing to harness mind control of the Rovoen population. The Velconi secretly made an agreement with the TBWC in order to secure shipments of the fluid. They installed a puppet revolutionary leader, Hul-Viik, who led the masses of brainwashed Rovoen to take over the capital and betray the Irini. To feign their innocence, the TWBC's head V'numen staged a kidnapping with the bounty hunter Han. Zemuk managed to rescue a group of human scientists who had discovered a cure to the Turgin fluid and get the fluid to be mass produced at Niomos. He took the ISS Invictus ''and dispersed the antidote across Ro through the use of gas bombs. However, loyal Rovoen paramilitaries mistook this for a gas attack and shot down the ''Invictus. Zemuk managed to steer the crashing ship into Hul-Viik's headquarters, causing extensive damage and forcing him to take on Hul-Viik one-on-one. Defeating Hul-Viik, Zemuk managed to leave Ro with a very battered but flyable Invictus. Many diplomatic meetings were required between the Irini and Rovoen because of the incident on Ro, but were soon repaired by Admiral Ali. After getting the Invictus ''fixed and some critical medical attention, Zemuk would set out again, but the war had ended by then. Zemuk was one of the first naval captains to encounter the Kelim Hierarchy. Cataclysm Zemuk successfully maneuvered his ship, escaping an entire Hierarchy fleet, but with a lot of damage to the hull. The ship did not take long to be repaired, and was in the heat of battle again as part of the AI Sentient's relief fleet in combat with the Hierarchy near the Fringe-worlds. While Zemuk would lose this battle, he did manage to destroy several enemy ships and meet Captain Omar, Chief Dani-Yal, Ahmad, Han, Lord Marshall and Sentient again. Nemo would be first encountered by him as well. Zemuk would be involved in several skirmishes with the Hierarchy again following up to the loss of the Fringe-worlds, up until the Surrender of Earth. Zemuk reluctantly supported the surrender as the only solution in the face of total annihilation. After the disbanding of the Navy, Zemuk returned to his childhood ways, often getting in trouble with the law, adventuring on different planets, and sabotaging the Kelim Hierarchy. Personality Shafi Zemuk is a strong, proud, and sometimes arrogant, individual. He emphasizes strategy more than often, but there are notable exceptions when he uses pure brute force. Zemuk does not have any interest in history, astrobiology or culture, only exploring for the sole purpose of encountering new challenges and terrains. His crew respects him and he respects his crew, but there are often arguments between the two parties. He fancies the artificial intelligence Serkon, a fleet AI as his best companion, but is often assigned Sentient. Zemuk is often seen in contrasting clothing, sometimes wearing a Navy uniform and looking very professional; sometimes wearing old coats and hats when wandering the streets. Originally, in ''Galaxies ''and ''Cataclysm, he is seen as a young, clean-shaven and energetic captain. However, in Darkness Rising, his appearance has changed drastically, with long unruly hair and a beard, as well as a darker disposition. Trivia *Shafi Zemuk's battlecruiser is known as the ISS Invictus, which is Latin for "Unconquerable" or "Unbeatable" *Zemuk has a whole file on his criminal record (due to his years as a youth) *Shafi lacks much of the training to become a naval captain, but was promoted because of sheer skill *Zemuk has a dislike of Captain Omar, calling him "unfit for duty" Appearances #Black Hearts - Galaxies #Black Hearts - Cataclysm #Black Hearts - Darkness Rising Category:Characters